Selah, Circular Quay

On my way to work in Circular Quay, I have walked past Selah many times without a second thought. The outside of the restaurant doesn't look particular appealing and you really have to get up close to the window to peer inside before you realise it actually looks quite nice.

A lovely coworker took me there as a farewell lunch last week and I discovered that it is popular amongst the CBD crowd for a quiet business lunch. He joked that it was a place for the oldies!

Since it was a farewell lunch, we decided to go all out with three courses. The service was friendly and the food came out quickly.

Salt and pepper squid with chilli, soy, shallot and five spice ($18)

Crispy duck hash, duck egg dressing and honey mustard zucchini ($19)

I chose the duck hash as my entree because it sounded interesting. The flavour of the duck was lost somewhat among the potato-ness of the hash but I enjoyed the honey mustard dressing on the zucchini.

It is a shame that the fish is hidden under piles of Jerusalem artichoke in this picture. The fish was the true star of the dish - it had been coated in some sort of spice rub and was cooked perfectly. As for the Jerusalem artichokes, well, it always sounds so exotic on the menu and then I eat it and remember it's just another root vegetable. Needless to say I was spearing each piece and trying to coat it in the chowder sauce for more flavour. Also I would have loved to have more than one mussel on the plate!

Both desserts were comforting and homely, well-suited for the chilly Sydney weather. There was a bit of theatrical presentation from the waiter at the table as he poured the hot chocolate sauce over the fondant.

We both left feeling very full and satisfied.

retrodaze

We have been writing about food in Sydney since 2009. No place is too far or too wide for us to travel to visit. We always give an honest opinion and love to hear your comments too. Here's to an ever-growing society of foodies!